John Yellow Bird Steele is an American politician. He was the President of the

Oglala Sioux Tribe The Oglala (pronounced , meaning "to scatter one's own" in Lakota language) are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people who, along with the Dakota, make up the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Seven Council Fires). A majority of the Oglala live o ...

for 14 years. Akim Reinhardt described him as "arguably the most successful Pine Ridge politician of the

IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...

era".

Career

Between 1992 and 2016, Steele served seven non-consecutive two-year terms as president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Prior to serving as president, he served as vice-president for two terms, and as a tribal council representative. He has also served as an advocate for the Black Hills Treaty Council.

Elections

Despite Steele's record-setting seven terms, he has only won re-election once, in 2002. Many times, he was defeated when seeking re-election, only to defeat his successor in the next election (or, as in 2006, to defeat the person serving out the rest of his successor's term). Steele was first elected president in 1992, succeeding Harold Dean Salway. His first term ended in 1994, when he was succeeded by Wilber Between Lodges. Steele took over from Between Lodges again in 1996, only to be succeeded by Salway in 1998. Steele regained the presidency from Salway in 2000, and won re-election in 2002. He was succeeded by

Cecilia Fire Thunder Cecilia Fire Thunder (born Cecilia Apple; October 24, 1946) is a nurse, community health planner and tribal leader of the Oglala Sioux. On November 2, 2004, she was the first woman elected as president of the Tribe. She served until being impeac ...

in 2004. In 2006, he succeeded Alex White Plume, who had become president after Fire Thunder's impeachment. In doing so, he broke Frank Wilson's record for most terms in office. He was succeeded by Theresa Two Bulls in 2008, and then defeated her in 2010. His sixth term ended in 2012, when he lost to Bryan Brewer. Finally, he won election in 2014, defeating Brewer. His most recent term ended when he was defeated by Troy "Scott" Weston in November 2016. In 2020, Steele ran for an eighth term as president against Weston and the incumbent,

Julian Bear Runner Julian R. Bear Runner was president of the Oglala, Oglala Sioux Tribe from 2018 to 2020. When elected, Bear Runner was the second-youngest person ever elected as president of the tribe. Election He was elected in 2018. At 33, he was the second-y ...

; however, he was unsuccessful in his bid.

Policies

Steele is known for his "aggressive lobbying" of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

on behalf of the tribe. He has testified before

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

multiple times, advocating for

tribal sovereignty Tribal sovereignty in the United States is the concept of the inherent authority of indigenous tribes to govern themselves within the borders of the United States. Originally, the U.S. federal government recognized American Indian trib ...

and reminding the US of its treaty obligations. He also urged them to recognize the

Lakota Lakota may refer to: *Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes *Lakota language, the language of the Lakota peoples Place names In the United States: *Lakota, Iowa *Lakota, North Dakota, seat of Nelson County *Lakota ...

code talker A code talker was a person employed by the military during wartime to use a little-known language as a means of secret communication. The term is now usually associated with United States service members during the world wars who used their k ...

s with Congressional Gold Medals.

Economic Policy

In 1989,

Oglala Lakota County Oglala Lakota County (known as Shannon County until May 2015) is a county in southwestern South Dakota, United States. The population was 13,672 at the 2020 census. Oglala Lakota County does not have a functioning county seat; Hot Springs in ne ...

(then known as Shannon County) held the distinction of having the worst

poverty rate Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little

income

in the United States. When Steele took office in 1992, he stated that free enterprise was the solution, and worked to open casinos as an anti-poverty measure. At least one casino, the Prairie Winds Casino, opened during his first term in office; he then helped it expand into a much larger facility during his 5th term.

Health Policy

In February 2015, faced with a large number of

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

s among teens and pre-teens on the reservation, Steele declared an emergency. He successfully got the

Indian Health Service The Indian Health Service (IHS) is an operating division (OPDIV) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). IHS is responsible for providing direct medical and public health services to members of federally-recognized Nativ ...

to deploy additional counselors, but suicides continued to rise. Steele expressed his frustration with the situation, saying "When you have a good understanding of what’s happening, come back and tell me." Following

Russell Means Russell Charles Means (November 10, 1939 – October 22, 2012) was an Oglala Lakota activist for the rights of Native Americans, libertarian political activist, actor, musician, and writer. He became a prominent member of the American Ind ...

' death from cancer, Steele also said he wanted to see a "war on cancer in Indian country" and would host a conference on cancer treatments and preventions.

Personal life

Steele is married to Anna Little Dog from the Manderson District. They have 9 children and 23 grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steele, John Yellow Bird Living people Oglala Sioux Tribe politicians Native American leaders People from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota South Dakota Independents Year of birth missing (living people)